By Will Stevenson/Illinois Radio Network

SPRINGFIELD – One Illinois County Clerk said don’t believe what you read when it comes to alleged analysis of the county’s voter rolls by the Public Interest Legal Foundation.

The report shows that among others in the state, the county has about one-percent more people registered to vote than there are people voting age or older. Sangamon County Clerk Don Gray said the foundation needs to fix their calculator.

“We’re required by federal law to have to report both active and inactive voters that are still in our system,” said Gray.  “[Public Interest Legal Foundation] are including those inactive voters – that’s roughly about 18,000 people.  I’m required by federal law to keep them on the rolls for two years before I can cancel them.”

Gray said he had hoped to go through the required purge by now, but had to back off due to the 18th Congressional District special election. He’ll says he’ll now purge the voter rolls in October.

But, Gray might be in a game of cat and mouse with the foundation.  Gray said he would love to talk to the Foundation about their claims.

“I tried [calling] five times, and it’s funny that they only have an answering machine, and they won’t call back,” said Gray.  “That should tell you a little about what they’re interested in doing.  They don’t want to know the facts.  They just want to have publicity, and I’m afraid it looks like they’re only trying to raise money.”
Gray calls what led the foundation to their conclusions “fuzzy math.”